The Calves' head club was instituted in ridicule of Charles I. The great annual banquet was held on the 30th of January, and consisted of a cod's head, to represent the person of Charles Stuart independent of his kingly office; a pike with little ones in its mouth, an emblem of tyranny; a boar's head with an apple in its mouth to represent the king preying on his subjects; and calves' heads dressed in sundry ways to represent Charles in his regal capacity. After the banquet the king's book (Icon Basilike) was burnt and the parting toast was 'To those worthy patriots who killed the tyrant'. Research Calves' Head Club
An alligator is a genus of crocodilian reptile of the family Alligatoridae. They differ from the true crocodiles in having a shorter and flatter head, in having cavities or pits in the upper jaw, into which the long canine teeth of the under jaw fit, and in having the feet much less webbed. Their habits are less perfectly aquatic. They are confined to the warmer parts of America, where they frequent swamps and marshes, and may be seen basking on the dry ground during the day in the heat of the sun. They are most active during the night, when they make a loud bellowing. The largest of these animals grow to the length of about six metres. They are covered by a dense armour of horny scales, and have a huge mouth, armed with strong, conical teeth. They swim with wonderful celerity, impelled by their long, laterally-compressed, and powerful tails. On land their motions are proportionally slow and embarrassed because of the length and un-wieldiness of their bodies and the shortness of their limbs.
Alligators feed on fish, and any small animals or carrion, and sometimes catch pigs on the shore, or dogs which are swimming. They even sometimes make man their prey. In winter they burrow in the mud of swamps and marshes, lying torpid until the warm weather. The female lays a great number of eggs, which are deposited in the sand or mud, and left to be hatched by the heat of the sun, but the mother alligator is very attentive to her young. The most fierce and dangerous species is that found in the southern parts of the United States Alligator Lucius, having the snout a little turned up, slightly resembling that of the pike. The alligators of South America are there very often called Caymans. Alligator sclerops is known also as the Spectacled Cayman, from the prominent bony rim surrounding the orbit of each eye. The flesh of the alligator is sometimes eaten. Among the fossils of the south of England are remains of a true alligator Alligator Hantoniensis in the Eocene beds of the Hampshire basin. Research Alligator More pictures of Alligator
The Barbel (Barbus), is a genus of fresh-water fishes of the carp family, distinguished by the four fleshy filaments growing from the lips, two at the nose and one ay each corner of the mouth, forming the kind of beard to which the genus owes its name. Of the several species the European Barbuis vulgaris, common in most rivers, has an average length of from 30 to 45 cm, and in form and habits strongly resembles the pike. Its body is elongated and rounded, olive-coloured above and bluish on the sides, and covered with small scales. The upper jaw, which is much longer than the lower, forms a snout, with which it bores into the mud for worms, insects, aquatic plants etc. It is common in the Thames, where it gives good sport to the angler; but its flesh is very coarse, and at the time of spawning the roe is dangerous to eat. Research Barbel
Barracuda is a popular name for many pike-like predatory fishes of the family Sphyraenidae. They typically have long, pointed jaws filled with very sharp teeth and grow to between one and three metres in length. Large
barracudas are mainly solitary, lurking in tropical reefs waiting for prey, rushing out at high speed to attack anything that comes within range, including man. Research Barracuda
The gar-fish (Lepidosteus, bony pike, sea-pike, gar-pike, sea-needle) is a long and slender sea fish of the genus Belone, about 90cm long. The head projects forward into a very long sharp snout. The sides and belly are of a bright silvery colour and the back is green. They are found in North American lakes and rivers. Research Gar-Fish
The pike (Esox lucius) is a voracious fresh water fish. The body is narrow and elongated, reaching a length of 120 centimetres. The head is long, broad and depressed. The pike is devoid of scales and barbells, and has the lower jaw extending beyond the upper. The rest of the body is covered by cycloid scales, and terminates in a forked tail-fin. Research Pike
The Russian Tapeworm or Broad Tapeworm (Bothriocephalus latus) is a worm commonly found in man. The first stage occurs in fish, notably pike and burbot. In consequence the parasite is particularly common in countries where much fish is eaten in a raw or undercooked state. The adult tapeworm has two suckers but no hooks and may reach a length of ten metres. The eggs hatch into free-swimming ciliated embryos. Research Russian Tapeworm
The saury pike or skipper (Scombresox) is a genus of bony sea fishes closely allied to the gar-pike. They are known as skippers from their habit of leaping out of the water and skimming along its surface. Research Saury Pike
The zander (Stizostedion lucioperca) is a fish resembling a cross between the pike and the perch. It has a grey-green back, white underside, two dorsal fins and wide mouth with fangs. It is about 60 centimetres long and weighs about 7.5 kg. It is a solitary and voraciouspredator and lays up to two million eggs per year on vegetation in slow-flowing or still water. It was introduced to Britain 1878, but because it reduces stocks of fish including perch, roach and bream, there have been attempts to control its numbers. Research Zander
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Calves' Head Club
